Danao: Rape-slay angle still possible in Dacera’s death

MANILA, Philippines — There is still a possibility that flight attendant Christine Dacera was sexually abused before her death if evidence showed that someone induced her with drugs during the New Year’s party, the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) chief said Thursday.

“The probability of having one is always there [in Dacera’s case]. Iyong rape with homicide. Paano ko nasabi iyan? Iyong homicide kasi ‘di ba if somebody put or induced a drug na ininom mo na hindi mo alam that caused your death, may kaso iyon. Ang tanong sino naglagay? So iyon ang aalamin natin,” NCRPO director Brigadier General Vicente Danao Jr. told reporters in an interview.

(How did I say that? Homicide is possible because if you put or induced a drug and you drank it without the knowledge and caused your death, there is a case here. The question is, who placed it? So that’s what we are studying right now.)

“Kaya nga resulta ng toxicology is very important, kung may naglagay ng drugs, sino ang naglagay? Kung voluntaryo na ininom niya then who is to be blamed there?” he added.

(The result of toxicology is very important if drugs were taken, who placed it? If she voluntarily used the drugs, who is to be blamed?)

Danao earlier admitted the Makati City Police’s provisional complaint of rape with homicide against 11 suspects, who joined Dacera in the New Year’s Eve party, was still lacking.

The Makati City Prosecutor’s Office sent the complaint back to the police, citing “insufficient” pieces of evidence so far and asked authorities to submit DNA analysis results, toxicology/chemical analysis, and histopath examination to determine Dacera’s cause of death, as well as to establish whether the victim was killed and sexually abused.